"Content marketing is the only marketing left," according to the very successful American author, entrepreneur, marketer, and public speaker, Seth Godin, who might know a thing or two about marketing.

There’s no denying that content is a powerful marketing tool, as the phrase “content is king” (attributed to Bill Gates) has ebbed and flowed throughout advertising, marketing and public relations industries for years. And in this digital age, content is still king.

But before we get to why content is king, we should probably define what we mean by content. We don’t mean just anything, no matter how well written it is. Quality content, according to The Marketing Donut, is “information that is first and foremost of real value to your particular client base. Educate your clients, show them best practice, tell them what to look out for, give them valuable tips on how to achieve success, demonstrate how you’ve helped others in their shoes; answer their problems, open their eyes.” Ultimately, building content that is beneficial to your target customer first and foremost, builds trust and in a crowded marketplace, trust is key.

So, now that you understand what your content should be, why is it still king? Well…

Content is Shareable

In today’s social media-heavy world, shareable content is key. When you create an image for an advertising campaign, for example, you can post this on your Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter accounts as well so that your users can share with their followers. Try creating content with a great tagline or some humor so your users will want to share it and help it go viral.

Content is Reusable

You’ve spent countless hours and budget on creating a perfect TV commercial, now what? Take that script and use it to build out Facebook, Instagram or Twitter posts, a less production-heavy YouTube clip or an article. The types of content that can be created are endless, so make use of what you have and see how you can repurpose it for other content types that might better fit certain customer needs.

Content Can Be User Generated

Just like we discussed above, your customers are a great asset in sharing your content, but they’re also a great asset in creating content! User generated content (UGC) is growing in popularity and can be a great tool for getting the word out about your product or service. Try hosting an image or photo contest that encourages your users to create and share content about your business. But be careful to moderate submissions so that no embarrassing UGC comes back and goes viral!

Content Marketing Works

Going back to the Godin quote from the beginning of this post, content marketing is a great tool for brands and businesses today. Did you know that searches for “content marketing” are up by 400% since 2011, according to Google Trends. This is because research shows that 87% of B2B buyers say that content has an impact over vendor selection. Content marketing goes beyond just creating the content and includes tactics for distributing the content in ways that best fit your customer needs. A great example of content marketing is sending out an email to your current and potential customers and including links to download a white paper.

Great content will always be useful to your business, but by trying new social sharing and content marketing tactics, you’ll be able to take your content to new levels.

Learn more about content and how it applies to digital marketing at BizX's next event!